“A coalition of anti-gun advocates are calling on Mayor Bloomberg this morning to join them in rejecting Walmart’s plans to expand to New York City in light of a report that the big box retailer is trying to increase its sales of guns and ammunition as a way to boost its bottom line … “Wal-Mart has shown exactly what its promises are worth by reneging on its commitment to Mayor Bloomberg’s national gun control campaign,” said Public Advocate Bill de Blasio … “The Walmart charm offensive ends today with news that the conglomerate plans to expand considerably the sale of weapons and ammunition,” said Manhattan borough president Scott Stringer. “If the city wants to remain a leader on gun control, we need to take a hard stand against Walmart’s decision and make it clear that any corporation that looks for new markets to sell guns and fosters a culture of violence is not welcome in New York.” …”

While these guys are certainly antigun, that is not the real issue here. Walmart has been wanting to open up stores in NYC for quite some time. Their main obstacle has been the unions and their political puppets like de Blasio and Stringer. Walmart is a non-union shop and local unions do not want them here:

“… “Walmart is still not welcome,” said Stuart Appelbaum, of the national Retail and Wholesale Workers union. “They provide a model for others to follow. Their model is a destructive force. The jobs they create keep people in poverty.” …”

Their business model is capitalism, the antithesis of union socialism.

While Mayor Bloomberg is very antigun, he’s not anticapitalist and does not have a problem with Walmart expanding into the City. What de Blasio and Stringer are trying to do here is get the Mayor on their side by trying to link one of his pet issues to Walmart and hopefully get him to come out in opposition to the company’s expansion plans. Gun control is just a smokescreen for their real objectives.

“… “I’m going to go to New Hampshire to speak to a law enforcement group, so that’s really the main purpose of the speech, but I keep in contact with people in New Hampshire and try to figure out what kind of a chance I have,” Mr. Giuliani said in an interview. “At this point, I’m not actively considering it, but I have the door open.” …”

“… The real estate tycoon with the comb-over hairdo and in-your-face attitude plans to decide by June whether to join the field of GOP contenders competing in 2012 to make the Democratic incumbent a one-term president …”

I think this is a PR stunt. There seems to be a fad among the very wealthy to try running for high office. Unfortunately, being successful in business does not mean a person can be successful in politics or even that they understand the methodology of our political system. Trump has not demonstrated he has the skills to hold the highest office in the land. If he were serious, he could run for Congress or Senate next year, prove he has the skills to operate in a political environment and run for president in ’16 or ’20. He would have a lot more creditability then. However, neither of those offices would put him on the national stage and he would have to compete with lots of others for media attention in the interim. I don’t believe he wants that.

“… Ron Paul is officially considering running for president. Last night, after several media outlets confirmed that Paul would announce an exploratory committee, the candidate relayed the news himself to Fox News Channel …”

He’s even more ridiculous than Trump. While his limited government philosophy sounds good, he’s demonstrated an inability to implement his ideas during his time in Congress. Worse, he attracts the libertarian party which is full of crackpots who are not the least bit interested in actually electing people to public office. Ideas mean nothing without a will and way to implement them. Paul and his strongest supporters have shown over an extended period of time they are not serious about putting their ideas into practice.

The Buffalo News has an editorial today lauding Gov. Cuomo on his budget an encouraging him to keep gun control on his radar:

“… There is more for the governor to attend to: mandate relief; consolidations of agencies and localities; pension cost controls; gay marriage; gun laws; and more. All are important and all should remain on his agenda …”

Other than mentioning his support for microstamping in his campaign agenda, he’s been quiet on the issue. I still believe Eric Schneiderman is going to be the pointman on the issue, possibility with help from Lt. Gov. Bob Duffy lending his background credentials in law enforcement.

“… As for his own potential presidential aspirations, Pataki offered, “I’m not running for president. I think this is an extraordinarily important issue. We’re going to focus on this. But, Sean, I’ve been around politics enough to know you never say never.” …”

“The new head of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) is pushing for screenings of all gun purchases. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz said the current law, which allows private firearm sales without background checks, is “outrageous.” The Florida Democrat is sponsoring a soon-to-be-released proposal extending the screening requirements to all gun purchases, commercial or private. “It is outrageous that gun buyers evade the background check system every day, even in broad daylight,” Wasserman Schultz said Monday at a gun reform rally in Miami sponsored by Mayors Against Illegal Guns …”

Democrats have learned nothing. This pretty much guarantees that guns will be a big issue in next years elections and that will be detrimental to their party up and down the ticket. Chances of a Republican supermajority in the Senate are going up.

“Mayor Richard Daley and his wife, Maggie, took a bow for their stewardship of the city at an Art Institute of Chicago fundraiser held Friday night in their honor … New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg called Daley “the best damn mayor this country has ever seen” during post-dinner remarks … Bloomberg pointed to Daley initiatives on handguns, education, the environment and the arts that he said he has happily copied in New York …”